The present invention relates to a method of making a food product from the leg of a bird or other animal, as well as the food product produced thereby and, more particularly, to such a food product which is at least partially boneless.
The description of the present invention as set forth below relates primarily to a method for making a food product from a bird, including fowl, poultry, etc., specifically, the lower portion of the leg or drumstick of a bird. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that although not discussed in significant detail below, the method of the present invention is also applicable to the preparation of a food product from the leg or limb of other animals utilizing substantially the same method steps.
Birds, such as poultry and fowl, are conventionally eviscerated and dressed and sold either as a whole or as severed parts, i.e., breasts, thighs, wings, etc. One of the parts which is often separately sold is the lower portion of the leg, generally referred to as the drumstick. Typically, drumsticks are sold with the skin in place and with the meat surrounding an elongated bone.
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for meat products which require less time for preparation and are boneless or partially boneless, making such products easier to consume. Hence, products such as boneless chicken breasts, chicken tenders, etc., have enjoyed tremendous commercial success. Other bird parts, such as wings, have enjoyed an increase in popularity because of the development of new and different preparation methods and/or marketing techniques, i.e., "hot wings", "buffalo wings", etc. Until recently, some bird parts, such as thighs and drumsticks, have not been amenable to such enhanced commercial processing and/or preparation methods for a variety of reasons related primarily to the size of the parts, the type of meat (dark versus light), the size and location of the bone, etc.
The present invention comprises a method of efficiently and economically dressing or preparing the leg or drumstick of a bird by removing a portion of the centrally located bone in order to provide a meat product which is essentially boneless, at least on one end. A portion of the bone is retained in order to maintain stability of the meat product and to facilitate serving and holding the prepared food product during consumption. The present invention also comprises the semi-boneless drumstick product which is prepared in accordance with the present invention.